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Melvin Coombs
Dancer, cultural educator, and cultural interpreter

Melvin Coombs

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
Dancer, cultural educator, and cultural interpreter
Work field
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Mashpee, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Place of death
Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Age
49 years
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Melvin Coombs (January 30, 1948 – March 18, 1997) was a Wampanoag dancer, cultural educator, and cultural interpreter.

Early life and career

Born and raised in Mashpee, Massachusetts, Coombs' native name was Kennupmussitaccq, meaning "Quick Foot". He graduated from high school in Falmouth. After attending Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable, he began dancing competitively at local pow-wows.

Coombs later began speaking in schools and other community gatherings in an attempt to dispel myths and stereotypes about indigenous peoples of the Americas. In the 1990s, he served as a cultural interpreter at the Plimoth Plantation while working for the Wampanoag Indigenous Program. Together with his fiance, Dawn Dove, he managed the Dovecrest Cultural Center in Exeter, which includes the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum, the Dove Trading Post, and a cultural education program.

Death

On March 18, 1997, Coombs died of severe injuries in Richmond, Rhode Island. He and Lloyd Lance Comer, an acquaintance, were seen together drinking much of the day and night. Comer was initially charged with manslaughter, as Coombs' body was found on his property. He was later acquitted.

Personal life

At the time of his death, Coombs was engaged to Dawn Dove, a Narragansett. They lived in Exeter, Rhode Island.

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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